Retro Gaming Australia

Konami was renowned for two particular licensed brawlers in the early 90s: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1989) and The Simpsons (1991). These were not the only two the company produced, however. Popular French comic book series Asterix was given the arcade game in 1992.

Watch a gameplay sample of the first level of Asterix in the video below.

Asterix captures the essence of the comic book, not only in its visual style but also its core theme. Players take Asterix the Gaul or his brother-in-arms and best friend Obelix through a series of seven levels where they fight against the oppression of the Roman Empire. Romans can be dispatched with a variety of attacks, ranging from the standard punches (greatly powered up from the Gauls’ magic potion) through to more humorous and humilating slaps to the face and ragdoll tossing.

The game plays out much the same way as other Konami brawlers, with one attack button and one jump button which can be combined to access more attacking moves. By holding the attack button down for a short burst, players can use their super punch attack, which delivers a great deal more damage. Asterix and Obelix are of relatively even power in the game, which is the only notable deviation from the source material. Gameplay is occasionally shaken up with a tough boss fight or bonus stage, one of which is a chariot race at the end of the first level. Asterix‘s visuals are of a high standard, with excellent pixel art and animation consistent with many of the best arcade brawlers of the era. It’s a great all-round package.

While Asterix is highly popular in continental Europe, he is still relatively obscure in America and other Western nations, meaning that this game did not receive the same widespread distribution as other Konami brawlers. Though numerous Asterix games were released for home consoles, this one did not, as Sega held the home console rights to Asterix for a number of years around the time of this game’s release.

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